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Cabaret Series

Broadway’s Bill Carmichael Debuts the Cabaret Series at the Vergennes Opera House

Vergennes, VT, January 28, 2010: Broadway’s Bill Carmichael takes the stage at the Vergennes Opera House on Friday February 19 at 8:00pm in his one-man show, Those Shining Lights Inside of Me.

This appearance marks the debut of a year long cabaret series to be hosted by Bill Carmichael at the Vergennes Opera House. Opera House executive director Jackson Evans feels that this is the right place for a series of this kind: “We have some of the best natural acoustics of any theater our size in the state and given the intimate atmosphere and unique ambiance of the Opera House, it seems like a perfect fit. Bill’s talent, the warm quality of his voice, makes that fit all the more ideal.” To create the cabaret atmosphere, the 300 seat Opera House will be set-up with round tables and special lighting for a more intimate feel. The purchase of a ticket ($18 individually or $30 per couple) includes coffee and desserts provided by event sponsor Tourterelle Inn and Restaurant from New Haven.

Originally produced for the Cabaret at the Fort Salem Theater in Salem, New York, Those Shining Lights Inside of Me is a musical excursion in which the Broadway veteran examines the wide-eyed hopes and dreams of youth through the backward glances of experience and maturity.

Bill Carmichael first sang about bright lights shining before him in a college production of the classic coming-of-age musical, The Fantasticks. His college success was followed by a performer’s life in New York. He was a member of the original cast of the classic theatrical revue, Forbidden Broadway, where nightly he sang a parody of the song, “Memory,” from Cats. He soon landed his first Broadway show: Cats. Carmichael followed his early success with stints on Broadway and in national tours in Peter Pan with Sandy Duncan, Les Miserables, and Phantom of the Opera, in which he understudied and performed the title role. Working also on television and in Los Angeles, he appeared in Ragtime. In 2001, he was part of the original Broadway cast of Mamma Mia!

Along his road of professional accomplishments as a successful actor, he fathered two daughters, now in their twenties, and is also the proud father of an eight-year-old daughter from his marriage to dancer Susan Walsh. Sue and Bill continue their careers from Vergennes, Vermont, where they also operate Emerson's House, a Victorian Bed and Breakfast. It is from the vantage point of today that Those Shining Lights Inside of Me begins, as Carmichael recalls with the wisdom of hindsight his forward momentum into adulthood.

Reservations for the 8:00pm performance are strongly suggested, as seating is limited to 150. For reservations and information, call (802) 877-6737 or visit the Vergennes Opera House online (www.vergennesoperahouse.org).